Flying insects and particularly mosquitoes not only cause nuisance to humans but also animals. Mosquitoes bites cause itching and welts that can subsequently become infected, and mosquitoes may carry debilitating and fatal diseases such as malaria, encephalitis, West Nile virus, and HIV which can transmit to humans. Some fatal viruses are transmitted by mosquitoes from diseased birds or other mammals. A filarial parasite can be transmitted by mosquitoes to dogs to cause heart worm disease. The heart worm nematodes of such disease can lodge in the heart tissue of a dog to cause death if untreated.
There are numerous species of mosquitoes which commonly lay their eggs in water and the larvae will mature into adult mosquitoes in two to three days. Some species of mosquitoes will lay their eggs in damp soil, vegetation or other organic matters, or even salt marshes. The eggs can remain dormant until they are flooded and conditions are favorable for hatching into larvae which are carried by the flood water to lakes and rivers.
Adult mosquitoes prefer to live in calm, damp and shady or dark areas; and they become rather inactive in lighted areas or under the sun. Only female mosquitoes suck blood which they require for producing and laying eggs.
Numerous devices and methods have been developed for eradicating mosquitoes. Chemical pesticide sprays or smoke have been used for eliminating mosquitoes; however, the chemical substances in the pesticides may cause either short term or long term harmful medical side effects to humans and damages to the natural environment. Devices emitting bright light or gas have been used to attract mosquitoes and to destroy them; however, large number of such devices also inherently destroy all flying insects including beneficial insects such as bees, butterflies and moths. Some devices employ fire hazardous gas such as a mixture of carbon dioxide and propane to attract mosquitoes in order to annihilate them. Such devices are highly dangerous in use due to the potential fire hazard. Other devices require regular maintenance care or frequent replacement of component parts or replenishment of material used in them in order to operate. Some devices require household electrical supply to operate so that they must be located in close vicinity to an electrical outlet. Therefore, they are not suitable for outdoor use. All such known devices and methods are ineffective in eradicating mosquitoes. Chemical sprays or ointments for applying on the exposed skin of humans would deter mosquitoes from approaching the exposed skin to deliver bites but they do not eradicate the mosquitoes so that the mosquitoes will survive to find other unprotected victims.